Outboard motor mounts



Aug. 15 1961 .1. c. BANDLI OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTS Filed April 25. 1959 NmQHrm m\ m wN 1 Q MN \N n O SNN O W\ m 3 Aug. 1961 J. c. BANDLI2,996,273

OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTS Filed April 23, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG! 5 FIE5' JNVENTOR. 0.72749 6'. B44104 I BMXM Unite Ice Patented Aug.'l5, 19612,996,273 OUTBOARD MOTOR MOUNTS John C. Bandli, Minneapolis, Minn,assignor to McCulloch Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation ofMinnesota Filed Apr. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 808,385

- 7 Claims. (Cl. 248-4) This invention relates to outboard motormounting devices.

Larger horsepower and heavier outboard motors have created new problemsin motor handling. For example,

when a motor carrying boat is moved into shallow water or is to betransported over land, it is the usual procedure to tilt the motor fromthe upright or operating position to a forwardly tilted position withthe propeller raised above the boat bottom. This procedure prevents thelowest point of the motor from being damaged as by scraping a lakebottom or the like. Because of the just stated procedure most of thelarger outboard motors are mounted on the boat or transom bracket bymeans of a horizontal pivot, the bracket being fastened to the boattransom for supporting the motor at the rear of the boat. Additionally,locking apparatus may be provided in motors having a reverse operationfor preventing the motor from swinging away from the boat transom duringreverse operations, i.e., when backing the boat. This locking apparatusis conveniently termed a reverse lock assembly.

In most cases the reverse lock assembly is spring actuated to the lockedposition. When it is desired to tilt the motor'to the forward ,tilted orinoperative position, a pull rod attached to the reverse lock assemblyis pulled by the operator with one hand to unlock the motor from thebracket while the motor is simultaneously tilted with the other hand. Inthe larger and heavier motors it is difiicult for one person to tiltthem when using only hand, therefore it is a purpose of this inventionto provide apparatus for keeping the reverse lock assembly unlockedafter the pull rod has been released at least when the motor is in theupright position and is to be tilted to the forward tilted position,thereby freeing the operators hand from the pull rod enabling him to useboth hands to forwardly tilt the motor.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide apparatus in anoutboard motor with a reverse lock assembly having holding meansresponsive to the releasing or. disengaging relative motion of thereverse lock members to keep them released or disengaged while the motoris in an upright position.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed inthe course of the following specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in

which 6 FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a typical outboard motor mountedon a boat transom.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the motor mount, transombracket and pivot assembly used in tilting the motor from the upright tothe forward tilted position with the motor removed from the boat transomand as taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the reverse lock assembly shown in thelocked position as taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detailed enlarged side elevational view of the reverse lockassembly when locked and as taken along line 44 in FIG. 2 and looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the reverse lock assembly as inFIG. 4 in the unlocked or disengaged FIG. 6 is a view as in FIGS. 4 and5 but showing the pawl position when the motor is being lowered from theforward tilted to the upright position just prior .to en gagement of thereverse lock assembly.

With reference now to the various views like numbered parts indicate thesame part as illustrated in the different views. In FIG. 1 there isshown an outboard motor power unit 10 having an engine housing 11, avertical tube housing 12 containing a drive shaft housing 13 (FIG. 2)with drive shaft 14 (FIG. 3), a propeller 15 and a transom or boatbracket 16 having spaced apart lower arms 17 for mounting on transom 18of a boat (not shown). The power unit 10 may be provided with a handle19 and a safety chain bracket 20 (FIG. 2). The bracket 16 is removablyfastened to transom 18 by the usual fastening means indicatedcollectively by 21.

Power unit 10 is rotatably mounted to bracket 16 as at upper end pivotaxis 22 by pivot bolt 23 and being separated from bracket 16 byanti-friction washers 24. Pivot thereof.

bracket 35 and boat bracket 16 are suitably apertured for receivingpivot bolt 23. Bracket 20 may be conveniently attached to bracket 16 bybolt 23 as indicated in FIG. 2. Note that the pivot assembly includingbolt 23 serves to rigidly hold arms 17 in spaced apart parallelrelation. p

Arms 17 each have a plurality ofoppositely aligned apertures 25 forreceiving tilt pin or catch 26. Pin 26 is inserted in a; pair ofapertures 25 providing a lower rest for power unit 10 to keep it at apredetermined operating angle with respect to transom 18. p In FIG. 1 itis seen that apertures 25 are generally formed in an arc about pivot 22for providing various operating angles for different operatingconditions.

The lower ends of arms 17 are held rigidly in place by nut and boltassembly 27 to the rearward of which pin 26 is removably held in a pairof apertures by bar 28 rotatably mounted at one end of pin 26. Thereverse lock assembly 29 hooks over pin or catch 26 for holding powerunit 10 in an upright or operating position relative to bracket 16.Included in assembly 29 is actuator spring 30 rigidly attached tobracket 35 as at 31 and attached to assembly 29 at 32. Channel shapedreverse lock arms 33 are rotatably mounted on hinge pin 34 of pivotbracket 35. Arms 33 are formed by spaced apart sides or flanges 36joined by web 38. Integrally formed with arms 33 are two hooks orlatches 40 having catch or pin receiving notches 40' adapted to lockwith pin or catch 26 as best seen in FIG. 4. When so locked relativemovement between bracket 16 and housing 12 is prevented enabling theboat (not shown) to be backed with power unit 10 remaining in theupright or operating position.

As seen in FIG. 4 spring 30 downwardly urges channel arms 33 to rotateclockwise, thereby urging hooks or latches 40 into engaging positionwith catch pin 26. To release latches 40 from catch 26 pull rod 42 ismanually urged upwardly as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 thereby rotatingchannel arm 33 counterclockwise about pin 34. When so rotated power unit10 is freed for pivoting about axis 22 to the forward tilted positionwith propeller 15 in a raised position.

It is remembered that spring 30 urges latches 40 into locking engagementwith pin or catch 26, therefore when the operator (not shown) removeshis hand from the pull rod 42 power unit 10 is automatically relocked tobracket 16. It is apparent then that the operator must keep the assembly29 and locking members 26 and 40 disengaged while initially tilting themotor away from transom 18. i

To facilitate tilting or pivoting of outboard motors to the forwardtilted position and provide automatic relock ing of power unit 10 tobracket 16 when returned to the 3 upright position pawl 44 iseccentrically and rotatably mounted on pin 46 disposed in opposingapertures 48 of hooks 40 and held axially in place by cotter pins 50'.The center of gravity 52 is located between pin 46 and tilt pin'engaging end 54. In thefreverse'lockedposition as seen in FIG. 4pawl'lower side 56 is resting on tilt pin 26. As pull rod 42 is movedupwardly pawl 44 rotates counterclockwise as seen in FIG. 5, the amountof rotation being limited by dog 58 on one of hooks 40 en gaging pawldetent 60. Upon release of rod 42 spring 30 urges assembly 29 clockwiseabout pin 34' moving tilt pin engaging end 54 operatively-an'd endwiseagainst tilt pin 26 as seen in FIG. 5;

Dog 58 engages the pawl 44 ensuring the pawl end'54 engages the pin26'by limiting pawl'rotationsuch that the side 62 is prevented fromengaging pin 26 as at 64 for rotating the pawl out of operativeengagement therewith. As power unit is tilted upwardly as seen in FIG. 1the pivot bracket 35 moves in a first direction to' the left as viewedin FIGS. 4-6. When so moved pawl detent 60 engages dog 58 while end 54is still operatively slidably engaging tilt pin or catch 26 forpreventing further rotation of pawl 44.

As leftward movement of latch 40 is continued end 54 is disengaged fromcatch 26 and latches 40. non-operatively engage catch or pin 26 as at 66permitting continued pivoting of power unit 10. The usual locking meansfor keeping the power unit in the forwardly tilted position may beprovided, but since it is not a part of this inve tion descriptionthereof is dispensed with.

Upon returning power unit 10 to the upright position pawl lower side 56engages catch or pin 26 and moves to the right (FIGS. 4-6) rotating pawl44 clockwise about pin 46 keeping end 54 away from catch 26. Spring 30urges hooks or latches -40 downwardly into locking engagement with pin26 as the latches slide over the pin 26 as best seen in FIG. 6.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. In an outboard motor havingaboat bracket and a power unit vertically rotatably mounted thereon androtatable between an upright and a tilted position, the improvementcomprising a lock'for releasably non-rotatably holding the unit to thebracket, the lock consisting of two relatively movable separablelockingly engaged members respectively connected to the unit and thebracket, one of said members including a keeper having an orientingportion for positioning said keeper in a posi tion to maintain saidmembers separated when the power unit is in an unlocked upright positionand responsive to power unit rotation toward tilted position to permitsaid relatively movable members to become lockingly'engaged when saidpower unit is moved from its tilted position to alocked upright positionon said bracket.

2. In an outboard motor, a mounting bracket member, a power unit memberpivoted to the bracket member for tilting movement about a horizontalaxis between anupright and a tilted position, a locking devicecomprising a latch movably mounted on one member, a catch on the othermember, spring means engaging the latch to bias it into lockingengagement with the catch to lock the power unit member in uprightposition, a control for moving the latch to a catch releasing position,and a keeper mounted on the device and including means positioning thekeeper between the latch and catch in response to movement of thelatch'to a releasing position and to thereby movably retainsaidlatch inreleasing position against bias of the spring means while the power unitmember is in upright position, said keeper means maintaining said keeperin a position to permit locking engagement between said latch and catchwhen the power 4 unit member is moved from a tilted to an uprightposition.

3. In an outboard motor having a boat bracket carrying a transverse tiltpin, a power unit at the rear of the bracket and pivoted thereto abovethe tilt pin, said unit carrying a latch having its rear end pivoted tothe unit and its forward end hooking over the tilt pin prohibitingtilting. of the unit about the bracket,- the improvement comprisingapawl pivotably mounted'on the hook portion of the latch such that whenthe latch is hooked overthe pin the pawl rests upon the tilt pin in arearwardly raised position and when the latch is raised the pawl isadapted to fall into operative engagement with the tilt pin forreleasably supporting the latch away from the pin; said pawl includingmeans orienting the same to a position to maintain the latch and pinseparated and permitting engagement of said pawl by said pin to permitre-engagemen't' between said latch and pin when the power unit is movedfrom a tilted position to an upright position;

4. The subject matter of claim 3 wherein said last men tioned meanscomprises a dog on said forward endfor engaging the pawl to limitrotation thereof.

5. In an outboard motor, a boat bracket having an upper and a lower end,a power unit having a vertical housing and being rotatably supportedabout a horizontal axis on the bracket upper end, a hook and a tilt pinrespectively supported by said housing and bracket lower end, the hookengaging'the pin for non-rotatably connecting the housing to thebracket, a pawl having an engaging end, a lower side, a detent and beingrotatably supported by'the hook with its center of gravity being betweenthe engaging end and the hook support, the pawl lower side resting onthe pin with the'center of gravity rearward of the hook support when thehook is engaging the pin, means for momentarily raising the hook out ofengagement with the pin, the pawl engaging end moving downwardly duringthe momentary raising to operatively engage the pin for preventingreengagement of the hook therewith; a dog on the hook engaging the pawldetent for limiting rotation of the pawl and maintaining the operativeengagement thereof with the pin during limited rotation of the powerunit'away from the bracket and being freed from the pin upon further ofsuch rotation, and upon rotation of the unit toward the bracket the pawllower side engages the pin for returning the pawl to the rearwardposition as the hook reengages' the pin.

6. In an outboard motor having a boat bracket carrying a transverse tiltpin, a power unit pivoted to the bracket about a horizontal axis, theunit pivotably carrying a latch having one end hooked over the tilt pinfor securing the unit adjacent the bracket in an upright position, theimprovement comprising a pawl pivotably mounted on the one end such thatwhen the pin and latch are interengaged the pawl pivot is on the bracketside of the pin with the pawl resting thereon in a raised positionwhereby as the latch is raised the pawl pivots downwardly to slidablyengage the pin, and the unit being pivotable about its axis away fromthe upright position when the pawl is engaging the pin such that thepawl'is freed therefrom, said pawl including means orienting said pawlto a position'to engage said pin and maintain the latch separated fromsaid pin and permitting said latch to lockingly re-engage said pin.

7. In an outboard motor having a power unit member pivotably mounted ona bracket member, a lock comprising lockingly inter-engaged catch andlatch means respectively mounted on the members remote from said pivotfor non-rotatably secuning the members together, lever-means in themotor and being operatively connected to the lock formomentarily'disengaging the means'to permit relative pivoting betweenthe members in a first direction whereby the means are freed from eachother, a pawl eccentrically and pivotably mounted on one of thepmeansabout a pivot axis disposed adjacent to and slightly awayfrom the othermeans oppositeto tlrefirst 6 direction whei'eby as the means aredisengaged the pawl References Cited in the file of this patentdownwardly pivots to engage the other means for keeping same disengaged,and the pawl including orienting mean UNITED STATES PATENTS normallydisposing the pawl downwardly pivoted below 1,459,812 Zeman June 26,1923 the one means to maintain said catch and latch members 5 2,540,281Nystrom Feb. 6, 1951 separated and to permit recngagement thereof.2,646,238 Kircher July 21, 1953

